Graycare (graycare.net) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Learn More
For seniors and their families seeking local resources, which Senior Services Locator is best?
I’m representing Small Town, USA to demonstrate what you can find on 2023’s most well-known senior services directory websites: FindHelp* (findhelp.org) and Eldercare Locator (eldercare.acl.gov).
*Note: FindHelp and Neighborhood Navigator (navigator.aafp.org) use identical software. They're basically the same thing, different name.
Senior services are businesses and organizations tailored to the specific needs of older adults and their families. A senior service locator is a website that helps seniors find senior services in their local area.
The primary goal of senior services is to improve the quality of life for seniors and their families.
These services may include health and wellness programs, home care, transportation, social activities, and assistance with daily activities.
Eldercare Locator and FindHelp are common names to seniors seeking local services.
Eldercare Locator is the standing incumbent. It’s been for 30 years, and it’s the nation-wide local service directory specific to eldercare, hence the name.
Since 1992, the Eldercare Locator has received 5.7 million inquiries via its toll-free phone number, website and email. That's an average 190,000 inquiries per year (5,700,000 inquiries / 30 years). In 2021 alone, the Eldercare Locator received 372,146 inquiries. That’s about double the average, and a good indicator that people seek eldercare services and more people have phones, internet, and email these days. See the official 2021 Eldercare Locator Data Report for yourself.
Indeed the incumbent, Michigan.gov website (for state-level example) recommends Eldercare Locator and omits FindHelp from their recommendations. The same goes for Michigan’s Old MI-SOAP website (Michigan’s Support for Older Adults Portal) where almost every resources page recommends the Eldercare Locator. Government bodies tend to recommend Eldercare Locator over FindHelp.
FindHelp was born amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by social entrepreneurship company Aunt Bertha. Aunt Bertha is the name of the company, and still is today.
A 2021 press release states Aunt Bertha and FindHelp’s mission: “As the nation’s leading social care network, we’ve worked hard to make it easy for people seeking help to directly connect to local services and for customers in a wide range of industries to integrate social care into the work they already do.”
FindHelp includes eldercare services, but it’s not exclusive to eldercare services. For a caregivers searching for solutions, Eldercare Locator is the first place to start. And FindHelp is the second place to try only after Eldercare Locator’s resources have been exhausted.
Yes, on May 15, 2023 when you enter the Ithaca, MI zip code 48847, you get contact information to SEVEN different organizations in SEVEN service categories specific to eldercare right away:
Yes, on May 15, 2023 when you enter the Ithaca, MI zip code 48847, you get 1,855 programs
in the area, and the website asks you to use a complicated menu that doesn’t have a “dedicated senior’s department”. But it takes lots of searching to find eldercare-specific programs.
For example, you have to go to Housing > Residential Housing in the menu in order to find Short-Term and Long-Term housing. Even then, I still need to click into each one to get the contact information to the organization. Even if I don’t know the difference between long-term nursing homes, assisted living, independent living, public housing, safe housing, and short-term nursing homes, I still need to click in to see if it applies to me and the elderly family member I’m looking for. Chicken pecking through 1,854 programs until I find the one I want is a tall order for a caregiver at their last wits.
When searching for local senior resources and services, the Eldercare Locator and FindHelp are two common online websites you should try early in your search.
Both websites offer a range of services, but Eldercare Locator is the better choice for those seeking eldercare-specific services, and those who aren’t patient when using computers.
FindHelp is a good option for broader social care needs just isn’t as easy to use as Eldercare Locator - when you’re only interested in aging-related services.
Check Eldercare Locator first, then try FindHelp.
